Page 67 - Third Book of Reading Lessons

66 THIRD BOOK OF
which had a long handle, into slabs three et long, six inches thick, and two deep. These slabs were tenacious enough to admit of being moved about without breaking, or even losing the sharpness of their angles, and they had a slight degree of curva- · ture, corresponding with that of the circle om which they ,vere cut. They were piled upon each other exactly like courses of hewn stone, around the circle which had been traced out; and care was taken to · smooth the beds of the di erent courses with the kni , and to cut them, so as to give the wall a slight inclination inwards. The dome was closed some­ what suddenly and atly, by cutting the upper slabs in a wedge rm, instead of the more rectangular shape of those below. The roof was about eight feet. high, and t e last aperture was shut up by a small conical piece. The whole was built om within, and each slab was cut so, that it retained its position without requiring support until another was placed·
beside it, the lightness of the slabs greatly cili­ tating the operation.
2. When the building wal covered in, a little loose snow was thrown over it, to close up every chink, and a low door was cut through the ,vaJl with the kni . A bed-place was next formed, and neatly faced up with slabs of snow, which were then covered with a thin layer of ne branches, to prevent them. om being melted by the heat of the body. t each end of the bed, a pillar of snow was erected, to place
a lamp upon; and lastly, a porch was built be re the door, and a piece of clear ice was placed in an aperture cut in the wall, r a window.
3. The purity of the material of which the house was amed, the elegance of its construction, and the